Chris Bailey

Born in 1965 and a resident of Waiheke Island, Bailey trained at Auckland University in the traditional Maori material culture techniques of working stone, timber and flax fibre before commencing his career as a sculptor in his early thirties. 

Gravitating towards the harder stones of basalt and granite Bailey developed form driven stone works in a larger scale while also developing his carving skills working in totara alongside carvers of Piritahi Marae on Waiheke Island. Recognised for the high quality of his artwork as a senior Maori sculptor in 2005 Bailey was granted life time Toi Iho status.

Bailey has extensively exhibited with wide acclaim and gone on to complete a number of public artwork commissions both internationally and nationally with a documentary on his life and works to date completed in 2010.



SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2014   Chris Bailey – Turangawaewae, FHE Galleries, Auckland, NZ

2012   Nga Korero Tupuna solo show,  FHE Galleries, Auckland, NZ

2011   Chris Bailey – New Works, Toi Gallery, Waiheke, NZ

2010   Chris Bailey – New Works, Toi Gallery, Waiheke, NZ

2009   Chris Bailey – New Works, Toi Gallery, Waiheke, NZ

2008   Mana Whenua, The Lane Gallery, Auckland, NZ

          Motuaarairoa , FHE Galleries, Auckland, NZ

2006   Chris Bailey- New Works, Waiheke Community Art Gallery, NZ

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2019    Sculpture On The Gulf, Waiheke Island 

2017    Sculpture On The Gulf, Waiheke Island (Invited artist)

2015   Sculpture By The Sea, Cottesloe Beach, Perth, Australia (Invited artist)

           Show and Tell, Milford Galleries, Dunedin, NZ

2014   Sculpture By The Sea, Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia

          Sculpture By The Sea, Cottesloe Beach, Perth, Australia

          Te Toi Hou – Contemporary Maori Art, Northart, Auckland, NZ

2013   Sculpture By The Sea, Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia

          Mini Masterworks 4 , Spirit Wrestler Gallery , Canada

           Whatumanawa, Toi Gallery, Waiheke, NZ

           Auckland Art Fair, FHE Gallery, Auckland , NZ

2012   From A Distance group show, NZ Academy of Fine Arts, Wellington,NZ

            Matariki, Toi Gallery, Waiheke, NZ

            The Review, Milford Galleries, Dunedin, NZ

2011   Headland Sculpture On the Gulf, Waiheke Island, NZ.

2010    Moko Suite - Marti Freidlander/ Chris Bailey, FHE Galleries,

2009  Auckland Art Fair, Auckland, New Zealand

         53rd Venice Biennale – St Maddalena Church, Venice, Italy

         NZ Room. Collaboration with Creative NZ. June – November

         6x6 International Carving Symposium, Lake Serraia,  Baselga de Pine, Italy, August

         Mini Masterworks III , Spirit Wrestler Gallery , Canada, October

2008   Mana Whenua, The Lane Gallery, Auckland, March

         Mini MasterworksII , Spirit Wrestler Gallery , Canada, March

         Te Kahui o Matariki, group show and book launch,

         Tiny Treasures, De Young Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, USA,

         Sculpture Onshore Sculpture Symposium, Takapuna, ,NZ, November

2007   Maori Mark, The Wellington Event Centre, Wellington

         Mini Masterworks, Spirit Wrestler Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, August

2006   Chris Bailey- New Works, Waiheke Community Art Gallery, January

          Art Out There Exhibition, Waiheke Island, Sculpture in the landscape,

         Creative NZ Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan, November

          Pacific Edge 2006 The Art Bungalow, Kerikeri, February

          Taatai Tupuna,  Matariki exhibition Waiheke Community Art Gallery,

          APEC, virtual exhibition, August 2006 – 2007

2005   Toi Maori- The Eternal Thread Exhibition, Yerba Buena Centre for Arts, San Francisco, USA,

          Toi Iho Exhibition ,Te Papa, NZ National Museum, NZ

PROFESSIONAL

2005   Awarded Life Long Toi Iho status by Creative NZ, NZ Art Council in recognition of his high quality work in stone.

ACHIEVEMENTS

2014   Winner James Wallace Trust New Zealand Sculptor for Sculpture By The Sea Bondi, Australia.

           Nominated – IAPA International Public Art Award for South East Asian Region for the work “Pou Tu Te Rangi”

2011   Runner up - Peoples Choice - Headland Sculpture On the Gulf, Waiheke Island, NZ for his work “Te Punga o Waiheke”

2009   53rd Venice Biennale – St Maddalena Church, Venice, Italy

          NZ Room. Collaboration with Creative NZ. June – November

2005   Selected by Creative NZ, NZ Arts Council to develop new collection’s of works

SELECTION OF COMMISSIONS

2019    Huihui #2, Public artwork for Auckland Council, Fearon Park, Auckland

2018   Tauranga Waka, Public artwork for Auckland Council, Beach Road, Auckland

2017   Huihui , Public artwork for Auckland Council at Fearon Park, Auckland

2015   Kia Piritahi, one of the carvers to complete carved meeting house for Piritahi Marae, Waiheke Island.

2014   Mata Kupenga, Public Sculpture for Auckland City Council at Waiheke Public Library, Waiheke Island, Auckland.

2013   Marama, Private owner, Lake Hayes, South Island , NZ

2013   Te Ngahu Ngahu, Hei Matau Lodge, Waiheke Island, NZ

2011   Pou Tu Te Rangi, Public sculptural installation for Britomart Art Trust, Britomart Precinct, Auckland, NZ

2009   Kaitiaki, Public art work, Baselga De Pine, Italy

          53rd Venice Biennale – St Maddalena Church, Venice, Italy

          NZ Room. Collaboration with Creative NZ. June – November

REVIEWS AND PUBLICITY

2017  HSOTG - Te Wai Tapu o Tikapa Moana installation, video

 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/national/news/video.cfm?c_id=1503075&gal_cid=1&gallery_id=170679

NEWSPAPERS

2014   NZ Herald  T.J. McNamara: Sacred stones mark special journey - Elements of Maori and European traditions meet in Chris Bailey’s powerful work in wood and stone

Chris Bailey, whose sculptures are at FHE, works in wood and stone and they are linked with Maori tradition. The exhibition is called Turangawaewae and the work stands at the intersection of Maori carving and the sculptural qualities of the European tradition of Brancusi and Henry Moore in the 20th century.

More recent work goes deeper into the possibilities of the stone in the Toki Tetaha series. The sculptures recall the curves of anchor-stones, which Bailey has referenced powerfully in the past, but here the shape is concentrated on the nature of the stone itself.

The Ariki series, which take the form of ceremonial posts topped with a commanding figure, are carved from totara and lightly stained to give a smoky effect of age. These pieces are all done in Bailey's established styles and altogether make an accomplished exhibition showing concern for traditions and truth to material.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/tj-mcnamara-on-the-arts/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502890&objectid=11366381

2008   Chris Bailey’s first  solo show at FHE Galleries Motuaariroa received high acclaim by the public and art critics alike. Speaking of one of the works in the show, Matau in his review, TJ McNamara of the NZ Herald writes, “The shape is stylised, keeping the high polish and the sense of sharp edges but it is also roughened and has been subjected to heat. It combines the polish of utility with the roughness of the earth to form a powerful symbol of our connection with land and sea.” He goes on to say that “There are only seven pieces [in the exhibition] but the combined weight is several tonnes. Each work has taken on the strength of stone and is something special to this land. It is an exceptionally fine exhibition.”

You can view the article by TJ McNamara at: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=18&objectid=10520890&pnum=0

2012   NZ Herald, Feature Article- Blowing on the Embers

FILMS

2010   Chris Bailey – Ringa Whao  Documentary about Chris Bailey

2011   Discovering Britomart, Rongo Productions

2011   Headland – Where Nature Meets Sculpture , Rongo Productions

BOOKS

2008   ‘Te Kahui o Matariki’ looking at recognized Maori artists. Libby Hakaraia & Colleen Urlich. Penguin. P. 14-15

‘Hauraki Gulf’, Ian Robinson, Bateman. P. 86-87

‘Important NZ Art Works’, Webbs